Test 222 MARINUS GILBERT SMITH

1819 to 1901

Researched and written by Virginia G. (Coulson) Bullard and Don Bullard, Summer 2022

“Old men plant trees; young men can’t wait." MGS

Marinus Gilbert Smith was:

Grandson of Judge Ephraim Smith, born in Milford, New Haven, Connecticut & Anne Baldwin, born in Derby, New Haven, Connecticut

Grandson of Bartholomew Pond, born in Branford, New Haven, Connecticut & Elizabeth Dunbar, born in Waterbury, New Haven, Connecticut

Son of William Smith, born in Camden, New York & Polly Pond, born in Roxbury, Connecticut

Father of Ellen Harriet Smith & 7 or 8 others

Father-in-law of Charles Maxwell Coulson & a dozen others

Grandfather of Norman Maxwell Coulson & many others

Great-grandfather of Norman Sherwood Coulson & many others

Great-great grandfather of Norman Michael Coulson, Gay Rosemary Coulson Wilson & many others

Great-great-great grandfather of Judith Frances Wilson, Marilyn Gay Wilson, Norman Edward Coulson, Virginia Gay Coulson, Michael Joseph Coulson, Maria Margaret Coulson & many others

Great-great-great-great grandfather of Joel Alexander Bullard, Patrick Nathaniel Bullard, Macy Margaret Coulson, Anna Rose Coulson, Norman Brendan Coulson, Margaret Coulson Young, Elizabeth Louise Young, Jake Edward Johnson, Cara Jeanne Richter & many others

Great-great-great-great-great grandfather of Alice Belle Ewen, Alexis Carolyn Craft & many others

THE STATE OF NEW YORK

Marinus Gilbert Smith was born May 6, 1819 (one source says May 16, 1819) in the town of Camden, Oneida County, New York. His father was William Smith, born circa 1784 in Camden, New York, died 1843 in Monmouth, Warren County, Illinois. His mother was Polly Pond, born 1785 in Roxbury, Connecticut, died 1862 in Knoxville, Knox County, Illinois [verify]) They were married 1804.

Marinus had at least two brothers and one sister:

born died

1) Hannah K Smith 1806, Camden, New York 1884, Sterling, Illinois

2) Philander Smith 1807, Camden, New York unknown

3) Miles Smith 1810, New York 1905, Millerton, New York

4) Marinus Gilbert Smith 1819, Camden, New York 1901, Boulder, Colorado

Pioneer history of Camden, Oneida County, New York, by Elizabeth T. Pike, et al, 1897 says there was another brother and sister: Jehiel and Ann Elizabeth

Camden was, and still is, a small town located north of Syracuse, New York. Marinus lived on the family farm until he was 15, attending school intermittently when he could be spared from the farm.

At age 15 Marinus moved to Pulaski, New York, 30 miles northwest of Camden, near Lake Ontario. There he entered an apprenticeship to the tinner's trade. Most likely he made containers for use at home or farm, among other tin items.

THE STATE OF ILLINOIS

In 1838, when he was 19 years old, Marinus moved to Knox County, Illinois (south of Davenport, Iowa) to pursue his trade. At this time, the nearby Mississippi River was a major transportation route. Rail was just starting to be introduced. Native Americans were being displaced and their lands made available to non-Native Americans. Canals were being dug and roads built. John Deere was perfecting his plow. Slavery was hotly debated. Joseph Smith chose the town of Nauvoo, a short distance south of Knox County, as headquarters for the Mormon church in 1839.

Two years later, in 1840, Marinus moved to Warren County, Illinois - one county to the west - and established himself in the stove and tinware business. At some point he seems to have been joined by his father, William Smith, since his father died in 1843 in the city of Monmouth, Warren County, and by his mother who died in Knoxville, Knox County, Illinois - just east of Monmouth. Marinus' sister, Hannah K. Smith died in 1884 in the city of Sterling, Whiteside County, Illinois, which is a short distance north of Warren County. So she and other family members may well have lived with Marinus in Illinois.

The 1840 U.S. Census shows a Richard Smith living next door to the Gad Woodruff family, in Warren County. There is an extra male in the Smith household, engaged in trade. This possibly was Marinus. In any event, Marinus became acquainted with one of Gad's daughters, and on December 8, 1840 he married Anna Marie Woodruff. (There are various spellings of her first and middle names, Ann Maria for instance.) The wedding took place in Mercer County, Illinois (south of Davenport, Iowa, bordered on the west by the Mississippi River). Marinus was 22 years old and Anna Marie was 18.

Anna Maria's father was Gad Woodruff (possibly born in Connecticut, died 1/17/1848 at 78 years old) and her mother was Anne [maiden name?] (born in New York). The young Woodruff family was living in the town of Avon, Ontario County, New York in 1810 according to the U.S. Census. At some point the Woodruff family moved to Indiana, and Anna Marie was born in 1823 in Fountain, Indiana, an unincorporated community in Fountain County. It is located northwest of Indianapolis and southwest of Lafayette. It isn't known how long Anna Marie and her family stayed in Fountain, but it seems likely they moved to Illinois before 1840. (Construction of the Wabash and Erie Canal reached Fountain in about 1844.) On September 18, 1839, Gad purchased the E/2 SW of Section 35 in Township 14 North Range 5 West, in the future New Boston Township, Mercer County. (80 acres at $1.25 per acre - $33 in 2021 dollars).

Marinus and Anna Marie and the first three of their children are recorded in the 1850 U.S. Census, in Warren County, Illinois. He is called a "tinner". They eventually had eight or nine children (accounts differ), two sons and the rest girls. (Spouse surnames are shown in parenthesis)

1) Walter Hiram Smith (Conner)* 1842-1893 Born in Warren County, IL

2) Jessie Lemira Smith (Harrington)** 1845-1925 Born in Illinois

3) Sarah Ann Smith (Tourtellot) 1848-1933 Born in Knox County, IL

4) Stella Smith** * Abt 1852 - ? Born in Illinois

5) Ellen Harriet Smith (Coulson/Renkes) 1853-1897 Born in Warren County, IL

6) Estella "Stella" M Smith (Riniker/Drumm) 1855-1906 Born Mercer, IL****

7) J McLane Smith (Huntington & Evans) 1860-1937 Born Warren Co, IL*****

8) Jane "Jennie" Smith (Johnson)****** 1861-1937 Born in Boulder

9) Della Maud Smith (Chase/Eshenburg/Butsch) 1866-1940 Born in Boulder

* Died in California, probably buried there

** Died 5/15/1925. Buried Oakwood Cemetery, Geneseo, Henry County, IL (near Davenport). Plot B-52S-4, 80 years old

*** Perhaps died very young, or maybe is the same person as Estella M?

**** Buried in Green Mountain Cemetery, D215, 121, with Henry A. Drumm

***** Known as "Mac" and "Mack". Died and buried in Oakland, CA

****** Some say born 1858

spouses

1) Susan Conner, married outside of Boulder County? Not on Boulder marriage list.

2) George W. Harrington, married 1862, not in Boulder?

3) James Buchanan Tourtellot, married 4/8/1866, Boulder

4) unknown

5) first: Charles Maxwell Coulson, married 9/13/1872, Boulder &

second: Charles Westly Renkes, married 3/11/1882, Boulder

6) first: William Riniker, married 1/10/1872 in Boulder &

second: Henry Alexander Drumm, married 3/8/1885

7) first: Minnie Huntington, 5/17/1881, divorced 11/1894

second: Anna Evans, 7/2/1895

8) first?: John Johnson, married ? not in Boulder?

second?: Ed Develine

9) first: Byron E. Chase, married 1/15/1885 &

second: Grant W. Eshenburg, married? Not in Boulder?

third: Charles A Butsch, married?

In about 1843, about the time his first son was born, Marinus changed his business to that of running a mail and stage line.

In 1844 anti-Mormons assassinated Mormon leaders Joseph and Hyrum Smith at Carthage, Illinois - near Nauvoo. In 1846 the Mormons left Nauvoo for the Great Salt Lake Basin in Utah, the Donner party left Springfield, Illinois, by wagon train for California (forty-two perished in Sierra Mountains snowstorms). Marinus and his family would later make use of the trails blazed by the Mormons and Donner party.

THE MEXICAN AMERICAN WAR

During 1846-47 Marinus served in the Mexican American War (April 25, 1846 – February 2, 1848) which followed the 1845 annexation of Texas.

As one source says, the Mexican American War pitted a politically divided and militarily unprepared Mexico against the expansionist-minded administration of U.S. President James K. Polk, who believed the United States had a “Manifest Destiny” to spread across the continent to the Pacific Ocean. A border skirmish along the Rio Grande that started off the fighting was followed by a series of U.S. victories. When the dust cleared, Mexico had lost about one-third of its territory.

Marinus served as orderly sergeant, 1st Illinois Infantry, under General John Ellis Wool, U.S. Army. While we don't know the details of Marinus' service, General Wool took command of the Center Division and led the Chihuahuan Expedition, which resulted in the capture of Saltillo. After leading his troops 900 miles from San Antonio, he joined General Zachary Taylor at the Battle of Buena Vista. There his gallant leadership earned him a Congressional sword, a vote of thanks, and the brevet of major general. After the battle he commanded the occupation forces of northern Mexico. He commanded the Eastern Department and the Department of the Pacific at the end of the war.

In the Treaty of Guadalupe, February 2, 1848, Mexico ceded to the United States the area that comprises the present-day U.S. states of California, Nevada, Utah, most of Arizona, the western half of New Mexico, the western quarter of Colorado, and the southwest corner of Wyoming. (In 1854, the Gadsden Purchase, under the Treaty of Mesilla, added land to present day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico.)

In much of the United States, victory and the acquisition of new land brought a surge of patriotism. Victory seemed to fulfill belief in Manifest Destiny.

After leaving the U.S. Army in 1847, Marinus returned to his farm and family in Illinois. Where, among other things, he participated in Masonry. Evidently Marinus had been active in Masonry for some time. In 1849 he was raised to the level of Master Mason in the local Mason's lodge, Illinois Lodge 37, in Monmouth. (History of Masonry in Illinois, Page 488). This is one of the higher levels of the Mason organization.

Then Marinus caught gold fervor. The California Gold Rush was just beginning.

THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH

Gold! The official date of discovery was January 24, 1848 - less than two weeks prior to the Treaty of Guadalupe - so the gold was discovered on Mexican land. It was first found on the South Fork of the American river in the Sacramento Valley, at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This area was occupied by United States forces.

Word spread quickly. By late spring, about three out of four men in San Francisco had left to try their luck in the gold mines. By August the miner population was up to 4,000. News continued to spread, and the first gold migrants began to arrive in San Francisco by boat, from coastal North and South America, Asia, Hawaii (then the Sandwich Islands) and elsewhere. On the East Coast, people were initially hesitant to believe the claims of gold, but by the end of 1848 President James K. Polk announced an “abundance of gold” in California.

At this time, it was difficult to get to California from the eastern and central parts of the United States. While there were several alternatives, like sailing around Cape Horn, the tip of South America (17,000 miles, 5 months), Marinus preferred the overland route (less costly, could transport more stuff, took similar duration).

But by the time Marinus heard about the discovery of gold, in 1848, it was too late in the year to travel overland. The trip would take up to six months, following months of preparation. Because of snow and other factors, the trip had to be started in spring. Marinus made his preparations. He would be a Forty-Niner.

Over the next months, people around America did almost anything they could to scrape up the money to go to California, even to the point of spending their life savings and leaving their families behind. Women would be left to run farms and businesses and raise children alone, as was the case for Marinus and his young family.

Marinus took five yoke of cattle (ten beasts), presumably starting out from his Illinois farm. Undoubtedly, he had a fitted-out wagon with all the supplies, tools, and equipment needed for the roughly 2,000-mile journey across plains, mountains, and desert. He may also have had a dog and a horse.

Yoke of cattle means the animals were oxen, ordinary farm cattle that have been trained over four or more years, to pull wagons, plows, etc. Five yoke of oxen is more than would typically be used to pull a wagon, two to four yoke was normal. Maybe he was being cautious - oxen did sometimes die along the trail - or maybe he was planning from the onset to make money in livestock trading in California, where a premium could be gotten for livestock.

Probably Marinus had Red Durham cattle, perhaps a mix of well-trained oxen and some less trained or even untrained ones. And probably he had a mix of bulls, cows, and steers (castrated bulls). Steers are the strongest, fastest, and most capable oxen. Cows would provide milk during the journey. Bulls were stronger than cows, aggressive, and could be used for breeding. All could be eaten should the need arise (horses and mules were rarely eaten - they weren't viewed as a food source.)

Marinus probably began his journey as soon sufficient native prairie grass had come up for feeding the oxen. One of the advantages of oxen over horses and mules is that they will eat almost anything, and they tolerate lack of water well. There were other advantages too, for example, at that time oxen were plentiful, significantly less expensive than horses and far less expensive than mules.

Leaving in early spring also minimized the chance of being caught in dangerous snowstorms, especially in mountain passes.

A wagon pulled by oxen would average about 1-1/2 mile per hour under favorable conditions. Less in more difficult situations. A typical day included ten hours of travel.

In the early part of his journey, Marinus might have revisited areas he first saw during the Mexican American War. On the early part of his journey Marinus might have traveled mostly alone, in informal companionship with other Forty-Niners. In 1849 about 25-30,000 people traveled overland to California and almost all of them were men. In 1849 only 700 women traveled to California and that includes those who arrived by ship. In 1850, women made up only 8 percent of California's population. In mining areas, they made up less than 2 percent.

At the Missouri River Marinus almost certainly signed up with a wagon master - a guide who knew the route: where water could be had, perils to avoid, how to deal with the Indians - and became part of a wagon train.

Indians suffered greatly from the overland Forty-Niners who streamed across their land. Competition for water, land, and food became intense as did cultural clashes. This led to hostilities that played out over the next several decades and the decimation of the native people.

Better-than-average conditions on the plains and in the desert in spring and summer 1849 helped, but conditions were harsh at best. Grass and clean water became scarcer as the trip wore on, and diseases like cholera took their toll. Marinus and his wagon train probably followed the California Trail, although many new routes were opened into California as a result of the Gold Rush, and existing routes were continually modified or even abandoned.

After a toilsome journey of five months, without his wife or children, Marinus reached his destination. Unfortunately, we don't know exactly what that destination was. Where in California's gold country did Marinus go?

Probably Marinus spent time in Sacramento. When he was mining it is likely that he was somewhere in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, not far from Sacramento. Certainly, upon his departure he was in San Francisco to get on a ship. Travel between these places was slow and difficult. For instance, getting across San Francisco Bay and along the Sacramento River (250 navigable miles, or more) was challenging until steamers began making regular trips. In 1848 there were just two steamers on the Sacramento River. By 1850 there were 16, all built in eastern shipyards and sailed around Cape Horn. By 1853 there were 25 steamers running the Sacramento River.

Marinus had come to a notoriously lawless and chaotic place. Between 1848 and 1849, the non-native population in California swelled from around 1,000 to 100,000, and it continued to swell to some 250,000 by 1852. Overnight, Sacramento (originally called New Helvetia, then Sutterville) and San Francisco (then called Yerba Buena) became boomtowns due to close proximity to the gold mines.

The population of San Francisco, for example, exploded from 500 in 1847 to 40,000 in 1849 and more than 150,000 in 1852. For a time, 4,000 gold seekers arrived by ship each month. One source says: Abandoned ships cluttered the harbor and most of the available lumber was used to build saloons. Citizens lived in cellars and makeshift tents crowded into the flatlands that surrounded the bay. Health conditions were frightful, with a third of the deaths caused by diarrhea and dysentery. Malnutrition, scurvy, malaria, and typhus fever were also prevalent, and the population was subjected to deaths from starvation, exposure, murder, executions, and various wounds and accidents. To make matters worse, in autumn of 1850, cholera arrived in California, brought in by ship, just in time to mar any celebration of statehood. One physician observer estimated that from 1851 to 1853, one of every five persons reaching California died within six months of arrival. At one point, San Francisco had more than 500 bars and 1,000 gambling dens. In the span of 18 months, the city burned to the ground six times. There were a thousand murders in San Francisco during the early 1850s, but only one conviction.

In gold mining areas, thievery, gambling, violence, and prostitution were common. Food could be difficult to obtain, expensive, and not very nutritious. Housing was crude and scarce. Sanitation was poor or nonexistent. Many suffered from disease, particularly scurvy.

Forty-Niners sometimes slaughtered Indians for sport, drove Mexicans from the mines on penalty of death, and sought to restrict the immigration of foreigners, especially the Chinese. Since the military government was incapable of keeping order, leading merchants formed vigilance committees, which attempted to rule by lynch law and the establishment of "popular" courts.

The rapid influx of miners into California led to a frenzy of price gouging. A bottle of molasses or a pint-and-a-half of vinegar sold for a dollar ($34 in 2021 dollars). Pork was $5 a pound. Eggs went for as much as $4 a dozen. Toothpicks were sold for 50 cents apiece. The value of real estate exploded. A lot in San Francisco purchased in 1847 for $16.50 sold for $6,000 in the spring of 1848 and was later resold for $48,000.

Some of these newcomers squatted on Captain John Augustus Sutter's Fort, the economic center of the first permanent European colonial settlement in California’s Central Valley, and stole his livestock. (Sutter was eventually forced from his land and died bankrupt as a result of the Gold Rush.)

As competition flared over access to the goldfields, xenophobia and racial prejudice ran rampant. Chinese and Latin American immigrants were routinely subjected to violent attacks at the hands of white settlers and miners who adhered to an extremely narrow view of what it meant to be truly “American.”

Yet, in the midst of the Gold Rush, towns and cities were chartered, a state constitutional convention was convened, a state constitution (1849) written, elections held, and representatives sent to Washington, D.C. to negotiate the admission of California as a state (1850).

Marinus had the good fortune to be present for California statehood, as he would be - 26 years later - for Colorado statehood.

Statehood happened remarkably fast, propelled by the booming gold-frenzied population and the urgency of establishing orderly governance. (At the time, a territory had to have a minimum of 60,000 residents before admission to the Union.) By contrast, New Mexico and Arizona territories didn’t become states until 1912.

When California applied for admission, it had a constitution that barred slavery. This created a conflict in Congress between politicians who favored slavery and those who did not. The Compromise of 1850 stated that California would be allowed to enter the Union as a free state and two new territories, Utah and New Mexico, could decide whether or not to allow slavery.

As the state government of California expanded to oversee the booming population, widespread nativist (anti-immigrant) sentiment led to the establishment of taxes and laws that explicitly targeted immigrants, particularly Chinese immigrants.

Peter Burnett, California's first elected governor declared that California was a battleground between the races and that there were only two options towards California Indians, extermination or removal. "That a war of extermination will continue to be waged between the two races until the Indian race becomes extinct, must be expected. While we cannot anticipate the result with but painful regret, the inevitable destiny of the race is beyond the power and wisdom of man to avert." For Burnett, like many of his contemporaries, the genocide was part of God's plan, and it was necessary for Burnett's constituency to move forward in California. The Act for the Government and Protection of Indians, passed on April 22, 1850, by the California Legislature, allowed settlers to capture and use Native people as bonded workers, prohibited Native peoples' testimony against settlers, and allowed the adoption of Native children by settlers, often for labor.

The first federal census conducted in California was taken in 1850 while the Gold Rush was in full swing. As a result, the accuracy of the count was questionable. Also, records for some counties were lost or destroyed. To obtain a more reliable picture of the population, the State of California conducted its own census in 1852.

The 1852 California census lists a "M. Smith", 33yo, male, born in NY, in Sacramento, Oct 9, 1852. Is this Marinus? The age, birth state, and sex fit. But we can't be certain. Also, we are told that Marinus had returned to his Illinois farm before this date.

We are told that Marinus remained in California for one year (two years from departing Illinois to his return), during the first part of which he made $8,000 ($270,000 in 2021 dollars) in the livestock business and then was engaged in mining until his return to Illinois. He was one of the lucky Forty-Niners. The reality was that gold panning rarely turned up anything of real value, and the work itself was back-breaking. Many Forty-Niners went broke and had to beg their ways home.

We don't know anything about Marinus' livestock trading or what kind of gold mining Marinus did. Early prospectors worked alone or in small groups looking for surface gold. After 1850, however, surface gold became hard to find. Around that time, many miners were forced to stop mining independently, instead many worked as laborers for industrialized mining operations. Hydraulic mining was developed in 1853, shortly after Marinus returned to Illinois. It was a profitable method, but it destroyed the California landscape.

RETURN TO ILLINOIS

The 1850 census shows Marinus and his family in Warren County, Illinois:

* M.G. Smith, 32, tinner, born in New York

* Ann M, 28 born in Indiana

* Walter, 8, born in Illinois

* Jessie L., 5, born in Illinois

* Sarah Ann, 2, born in Illinois

Despite what the Census says, it's likely that Marinus, himself, wasn't actually with his family in Illinois in 1850. Elsewhere the record tells us that Marinus returned to Illinois in the spring of 1851 with a small fortune, going by way of the Isthmus of Panama. Probably Marinus took a Pacific Mail Steamship Company ship from San Francisco to the Isthmus of Panama (regular service began in 1850). He likely then crossed the Isthmus by foot, mule or horse and riding in canoes in some sections (entertained by howling monkeys and chattering parrots). The Panama Railway was not completed until 1855. At the east coast of the Isthmus, he likely boarded a steamship which took him through the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico to New Orleans. There he would have boarded a riverboat for the final leg of his journey up the Mississippi River and back to Illinois.

Marinus then purchased a farm, probably in Warren County, Illinois, and was engaged in agricultural pursuits during the next six years. During this period the first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River was being built, between Rock Island and Davenport, Iowa (completed 1856) - near Marinus' farm.

By-the-way, Marinus was known for a silk tile hat that he bought in 1858. Reports are that he wore it everywhere for many years. "Tile" was old-fashioned (even at that time) British slang for a high silk hat. His hat was decades out of style, popular in 1800-1830, sometimes called an Empire or stovepipe hat. Probably it looked like this, tall with straight sides, almost certainly black:

In about 1857 or 1858 Marinus carried on a grain and commission business until April 1859, when he turned his attention to the gold mining excitement in the Rocky Mountains.

THE COLORADO GOLD RUSH

Marinus caught gold fervor again - the Colorado gold rush was just beginning. This was the boom in gold prospecting and mining in the Pike's Peak Country of western Kansas Territory and southwestern Nebraska Territory of the United States that began in July 1858 and lasted until roughly the creation of the Colorado Territory on February 28, 1861.

The area that eventually became the State of Colorado was, in 1859, parts of the territories of Kansas, Nebraska, Utah and New Mexico. Congressional grant of territorial status for the eventual Colorado, Nevada and Dakota territories was delayed by the slavery issue, and a deadlock between pro-slavery Democrats, who controlled the Senate, and antislavery Republicans. The deadlock was broken only by the Civil War. In early 1861, enough Democratic senators from seceding states resigned from the U.S. Senate to give control of both houses to the Republicans, clearing the way for admission of new territories. Three new territories were created in as many days: Colorado (February 28), Nevada (March 1), and Dakota (March 2).

Technically the Colorado territory was open to slavery under the Dred Scott Decision of 1857, but the question was rendered moot by the impending American Civil War and the majority pro-Union sentiment in the territory. Probably Marinus was pro-Union and anti-slavery since he had lived, up to 1859, in pro-Union /anti-slavery states.

We are told that Marinus crossed the plains with two teams. However, we don't know whether he went overland from his Illinois farm or whether he took river boats down the Mississippi to St. Louis, then up the Missouri to a point of departure in Missouri. In any event, Marinus arrived in Boulder, then a small hamlet, in June of that year, 1859. He would have had a wagon with food and an assortment of tools and equipment. His route would have followed established wagon trails, like the Mormon Trail (which started in Nauvoo, Illinois a short distance south of Marinus' farm) or the Oregon Trail. Very likely the first part of his 1859 journey followed a similar route to his 1849 journey to the gold fields of California. In eastern Nebraska Territory Marinus would have taken one of the branch trails, perhaps the South Platte Trail, otherwise known as the Overland Trail. All these trails were well established by this time.

Travel speed for a team and wagon was about 20 miles per day. Marinus had to travel roughly 1,000 miles. He traveled in the informal company of other gold seekers (pilgrims some called them). His early arrival in Boulder established Marinus as an official pioneer.

It is unlikely that his wife or any of his children accompanied him. While Marinus is listed in the 1860 Nebraska Territory census of Boulder, no family members are. (Marinus Smith is listed as M.J. Smith (with handwritten correction), 42 years old, born in NY, miner, (B24:236) B = Boulder City. Page number 24. House number 236) His eldest son was 17 years old in 1859, and sources indicate that he followed his father to Boulder in 1860. Also, sources indicate that Marinus' youngest child, at that time, was about one year old. Indications are that the family followed after Marinus established himself in Boulder.

Unfortunately, we don't definitively know what led Marinus to Boulder and not some other part of Colorado. Pikes Peak was the central attraction of the gold rush. Why didn't he go there? Probably it was fresh and exciting reports of gold discovered January 15, 1859 near Gold Hill, which is near the area that soon became the settlement of Boulder.

1860 map of routes to the Pikes Peak gold fields

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF BOULDER, COLORADO

The first party of gold-seekers entered Boulder Valley on the afternoon of October 17, 1858, just 8 months before Marinus arrived. At that time there was no road to guide them, not even a wagon rut through the prairie grasses. Some settlement had occurred to the north and to the south of the Front Range before this time. However, the lack of navigable rivers and the mountain barrier to the west had isolated the area making it less attractive to homesteading. A string of trading posts up and down the South Platte River had been active years before but, by the time of the gold-seekers' arrival, most forts were abandoned, including Fort St. Vrain.

In mid-February 1859 the weather turned fierce, and the gold-seekers were forced to stay in camp. They had time to establish the Boulder City Town Company with a view to divide up into lots the "real estate" along Boulder Creek. They petitioned Nebraska Territory for recognition even though they were, in reality, squatting on lands which belonged to the Arapaho Indian nation.

The newly formed Boulder settlement was located slightly north of the 40th parallel (current-day Baseline Road) placing it in the Nebraska Territory. At that time the 40th parallel served as the dividing line between the Kansas and Nebraska Territories. The Kansas Territory was controlled by the United States, while the Nebraska Territory was controlled by Native Americans. As such, upon its founding, Boulder was located outside of the United States jurisdiction.

GETTING ESTABLISHED IN BOULDER

The 1860 census identified Marinus as a miner. He might have mined for a while, or the census entry could be wrong. In any event, his previous experience in California mining led Marinus to engage in other businesses. Supplying the miners with food would prove to be more profitable than mining was for most men.

In the vicinity of present-day Arapahoe Avenue and 17th Street, Marinus and William G. Pell took up adjoining properties. One history says that, it was on June 15, 1859 that Marinus pitched his tent in the grove along the Boulder River that he would later claim as his own. (They, and all the other prospectors and settlers in Boulder Valley, had no legal right to the land they used.) In September or October 1859, they plowed the ground for a joint vegetable garden, considered by some to be the first men to strike a plow into the soil of Colorado for agricultural purposes. Marinus become one of the first fruit and vegetable growers in Boulder, being known as “pie-plant Smith” for the quantities of rhubarb in his garden. With free creek water and a shovel, he struck it rich indeed. The demand for vegetables, flour, meat, and dairy grew exponentially.

That being said, not all of Marinus' attempts at farming in Boulder County were successful. Marinus, and others, thought that the slopes along the foothills might be right for growing a wide variety of fruits. They experimented with plots of strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, as well as groves of apple trees and acres of grapevines. Boulder County fruit growers even considered the possibility of vineyards for table wines. When not plagued by the numerous grasshopper infestations, however, the dry winters in Boulder County proved problematic for growing fruit on the Front Range

At the same time, with a few partners, Marinus dug the Smith-Goss Ditch, the very first diversion of creek water that began the transformation of Boulder County from desert to oasis. Taking cues from irrigation systems they learned about while at the California gold strikes, Marinus and others constructed irrigation ditches from South Boulder Creek, Main Boulder Creek, Left Hand Creek, and St. Vrain Creek that conveyed enough water to grow a plentiful supply of crops despite the area’s dry climate.

That year Marinus sold a load of hay to miners in Black Hawk for $400 ($12,500 in 2021 dollars), an amount of money that could then buy a house! (The first houses were built of logs, had dirt floors, lacked plumbing, electricity, insulation and often even lacked windows). This hay was probably native grasses, like Buffalo Grass, Western Wheat, and Blue Grama that Marinus cut, dried, and loaded into his wagon.

The first settlers of Boulder County found outcrops of coal which they immediately began to appropriate for domestic heating purposes. The first real mines to be developed in the county were probably the Marshall coal mines (Consolidated Coal Company), situated about five miles southeast of Boulder. It is thought that coal was first mined in this locality as early as 1860. At an early date, Marinus established an express and mail line between Denver and Boulder and the mountain towns. It was called "Marinus Express" and carried coal to Denver and brought back the mail, and probably other things, for the people of Boulder.

The 1860 census shows 174 people living in Boulder City itself, mostly men. (Hundreds more were living nearby in tiny rough mining communities in the mountains - communities created overnight in the rush for gold.) One of those in Boulder was Marinus. Boulder residents were from the East and Midwest, although a few were natives of England and Canada, with one each from Ireland and Norway. Some households included wives and children. Many of the men were miners, along with a few farmers, but the others represented a variety of trades. After one year of settlement, the town had one each of the following: clerk, tinner, watchmaker, laborer, plasterer, butcher, and attorney. There were two merchants, two millers, three blacksmiths, three cooks, four carpenters, and four physicians.

Within a year the non-native population of what was to become Boulder County, a much larger area than Boulder City, went from zero to roughly 800 - more in the summer - many left in the winter.

ARRIVAL OF MARINUS' FAMILY

The 1860 Census shows Marinus in Boulder City (as it was then known), Nebraska Territory, and his family in Knoxville, Knox County, Illinois.

The Census data was collected on July 14, 1860 in Knoxville:

* Ann M. Smith, 37, born in Indiana

* Jesse L, 15, born in Illinois

* Sarah A, 12, born in Illinois

* Stella, 7, born in Illinois

* Ellen, 6, born in Illinois

* McLain, 2, born in Illinois

Marinus' eldest son, Walt, about 18 years old, isn't shown in either the Boulder or Knoxville census. There are a lot of young Walt Smiths in the 1860 United States Census. One of these might be him or maybe he was missed by the census takers. Presumably he was on his way from Knoxville to Boulder that summer, since is reported that he followed Marinus to Boulder in 1860

Most or all of Marinus' family must have joined him no later than 1862, more likely 1860 or 1861. Although family members don't appear in the 1860 Boulder census, they might have arrived after the census information was collected [date?]. One of Marinus' daughters, Jane, was born in Boulder in 1861, which seems to narrow things down. On the other hand, Columbia Cemetery Biographies, Boulder Genealogical Society, says "Anna moved to Boulder from Knoxville, IL in 1862 to join her husband, Marinus Smith."

The 1906 newspaper article below quotes Marinus' other son, "Mack" who said that the family took a mule team from the Missouri River 45 years earlier, which would have been 1860 or 1861. The journey from the Illinois farm would have started in early spring and included a river boat ride down the Mississippi River to St. Louis and then up the Missouri River to one of the staging towns. There the family would have bought mules (Missouri was nationally famous for its mules), a wagon, food and equipment, before departing on one of the well-established trails.

Boulder Daily Camera, Volume 16, Number 166, October 8, 1906

Corrections: Mac or Mack was born in 1858, so he was 48 when

this article was written. Just to be clear, he would have been about

three when coming from the Missouri River, so he didn't

actually drive the mule team.

The following 1906 obituary for one of Marinus' daughters states that the family came to Boulder in 1860, although a second obituary printed along-side the first, said "1861". The former article hints at the possibility that Marinus traveled back to Illinois to help his family journey to Boulder.

Boulder Daily Camera, Volume 16, Number 200, November 16, 1906

MAKING A HOME IN BOULDER

Meanwhile Marinus became involved in a variety of business enterprises in Boulder, having secured a ranch of 220 acres along Boulder Creek, adjoining the town. This land was located just south of the town, outside it, with North Boulder Creek running through the property. A portion of this land he subsequently platted as an addition to Boulder, and his heirs platted ten additional Boulder subdivisions after his death.

About 1860, Marinus is said to have donated the land, as well as some money, for the first public school in Colorado, built of locally cut logs in October 1860. It's unclear how Marinus could have donated land since there was, at that time, no legal means for him to own land in Arapaho managed Nebraska Territory. Apparently he "gave" a part of what he was squatting on. The name of the school unclear. It might have been Pioneer School, same name as the smaller private school that preceded it. It is probable that some of Marinus' children attended this small school. Three years later, 1863, Boulder's earliest school district was formed with Marinus as president.

In 1860 Lincoln was elected President of the United States, defeating three other candidates and the Civil War began the next year. Colorado was on the Union side, and probably Marinus was too. Marinus was about 42 when the war began. There isn't any indication that he served. His eldest son, Walt, was about 19 when the war began and, as far as we know, he was in the U.S. Army for only a 3-month period at the end of the war - fighting Indians. See Sand Creek Massacre, below.

Marinus' first home in Boulder was a tent which he pitched on the land he later secured, just south of the new townsite along South Boulder Creek. Soon Marinus built a log house which is what most of the first houses in Boulder were: logs houses with dirt floors. It appears that this house was demolished in 1905. Very early some sawmills started up, and before long Marinus built a frame house. Apparently, this house was moved in 1903 and demolished in 1934, although details are vague.

The frame house was built in the 1860's at present day 16th and Grove streets. Probably it was added to later on. Marinus also built some farm buildings. His property was called Smith’s Grove and was a popular spot for picnics and civic gatherings. His gardens surrounded the intersection of today’s 17th Street and Arapahoe Avenue, in the vicinity of present day Boulder High School. Nothing remains of these buildings or the farm.

Sunday school was held in Boulder as early as spring, 1860. One early organizer and teacher was Marinus' wife, Anna Marie, their children becoming pupils. She was an earnest Methodist, one of the original members of the Methodist Church in Boulder, and one of the most active of the pioneer Christian ladies.

At this early point, in a remote location, people were sometimes compelled to take the law into their own hands. One documented instance was that of a horse thief, a lawyer names Parker, who on some occasions served as judge in the tiny community. In 1861 Parker formed a gang, "gathered" a band of forty horses and mules, and started for the Missouri River, about 600 miles away. They were pursued by Marinus and another man. A hundred miles out on the plains the gang abandoned most of the stock but kept some of the best to get away on. They were overtaken at the river, two of them caught at Plattsmouth and two more at Rockford, in Missouri. To any question as to what became of the prisoners, the reply ever was that they “joined the army.” The conjecture is that they joined the great army of horse-thieves who have, first and last, for border horse-stealing, been ordered “over the river.”

Marinus Smith house. Date unknown.

PROPERTY ACQUSITION

Specific information about how and when Marinus legally acquired his 220 acres is lacking. It must have been after establishment of the Colorado Territory in 1861, since before that time this property was under jurisdiction of Native American controlled Nebraska Territory. Moreover, Boulder Valley was first surveyed by the U.S. Government in 1863, the same year that the first government general land office in Colorado was opened. It was in Denver.

It was no accident that Marinus squatted on forbidden land. Certainly, he was aware of other settlers, in other areas of the west, doing the same - a strategy widely employed to secure arable land with good access to water.

In 1861 Colorado became a territory of the United States. As a veteran of the Mexican American War, Marinus might have had an opportunity to acquire land from the government in the new territory. There is evidence that Marinus bought some of his land in 1868-70 via the Land Act of 1820, paying $1.25 per acre ($26 in 2021 dollars).

Also, we know that Marinus acquired part of his land in 1868-70 via the Homestead Act of 1862. Indeed, some documents refer to Marinus as a homesteader. The term "homesteader" started with the Homestead Act, which encouraged independent farmers and families to claim land west of the Mississippi River. Homesteaders were granted 160 acres of land to "improve" over five years.

Boulder Daily Camera, May 21, 1972, says that Marinus' original tract of land was the 160 acres now bounded by Arapahoe on the south, Broadway on the west, 15th Street on the east and Canyon Blvd on the north. Later land purchases extended his holdings to include the area from 17th Street west to the mountains and from Canyon south to College Avenue

Church building began in Boulder in 1868 when a handsome brick structure was built by the Congregationalists. The majority of the work was accomplished through personal labor of pioneers including Marinus. This structure was demolished about 40 years later. The Boulder Carnegie Library was built in the location of the old church in 1906, and a new Congregational church was built in 1908 in a different location.

First Congregational Church of Boulder, Colorado, 1870

Horses and buggies are in a line in front of the church, and a ditch runs from the hill in the background to the foreground. The brick building has a gable roof and a square tower with battlements. Rail fences cross the adjacent field.

THE SAND CREEK MASSACRE

At least one source says that Marinus was a veteran of the horrific Native American massacre at Sand Creek, 1864. This may or may not be true, however he hasn't turned up on any lists of participants that have been found as of 2022. Some of his Boulder friends and acquaintances did participate, as did his eldest son, Walter H. Smith, 24 years old.

According to Civil War records, Walt was a bugler in Company D, 3rd Regiment Colorado Calvary, 100-Day Volunteers, 1864. This was the regiment which initiated the notorious Sand Creek Massacre.

According to the National Park Service, which manages the massacre site, this regiment organized at Denver, Colo., for 100 days' service August 20 to September 21, 1864: Duty at Denver till September 27. Operations against Arapahoe and Cheyenne Indians in the District of Colorado October to December. Company "G" at Camp Baxter, Company "A" at Camp Cass, Companies "E," "B," "I," "K," "L," and "M" at Camp Elbert, Company "F," at Junction Station, Company "C" at Latham Station, Company "B" at Old Fort Lupton and Company "D" at Valley Station. Skirmish near Valley Station October 10. Engagement with Indians at Sand Creek, Colo., November 29. Mustered out at Denver December 31, 1864.

On June 24, 1864, Colorado Territory Governor John Evans warned that all peaceful Native Americans in the region must report to the Sand Creek reservation or risk being attacked. Evans’ offer of sanctuary was at best halfhearted. His primary goal in 1864 was to eliminate all Native American activity in eastern Colorado Territory, an accomplishment he hoped would increase his popularity and eventually win him a U.S. Senate seat. Immediately after ordering the local Native Americans to the reservation, Evans issued a second proclamation that invited white settlers to indiscriminately “kill and destroy all…hostile Indians.” At the same time, Evans began creating a temporary 100-day militia force to wage war on the Native Americans. He placed the new regiment under the command of Colonel John Chivington, another ambitious man who hoped to gain high political office by fighting Native Americans.

At daybreak on November 29, 1864, the militia of 700 men, many of them drunk, made a savage assault on the peaceful Sand Creek village. Most of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians warriors were away hunting. In the awful hours that followed, the militia brutally slaughtered 105 women and children and killed 28 men. The soldiers scalped and mutilated the corpses, carrying body parts back to display in Denver as trophies.

In the following months, the nation learned of the militia's treachery at Sand Creek, and many Americans reacted with horror and disgust. Yet many Coloradans at the time considered Sand Creek to be a justified battle and celebrated.

It appears to be true that during the "Indian troubles" in 1863-64, Marinus was commissioned by Territorial Governor John Evans to organize a home guard for the protection of Boulder County and was made captain with A. A. Brookfield and F. A. Squires as lieutenants.

Despite what at least one source says, it is not clear that Marinus was a participant in the Sand Creek Massacre. Marinus' commission was to protect Boulder County from Indian hostilities. The site of the massacre was a long distance southeast of Boulder - about 150 miles east of Colorado Springs, and there was no rail in the territory at this time. Marinus was 45 years old. This would have been an arduous trip for a man of his age. And one Boulder man who did participate, David Nichols, and who contributed to the founding of the University of Colorado, was, years later, excoriated by the university and his name removed from a campus dormitory building. Marinus, who was a leading contributor to the University, has never faced this kind of sanction and indeed is lauded by the University to this day.

Probably Marinus' view of the Native Americans was similar to that of other Coloradoans: They wanted and took the land, they wanted the Indians out of the way, but they weren't usually viciously hostile.

Here is a brief description of the massacre, from the National Park Service, which manages the Sand Creek Massacre Historic Site:

"At dawn on November 29, 1864, approximately 675 U.S. volunteer soldiers commanded by Colonel John M. Chivington attacked a village of about 750 Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians along Sand Creek in southeastern Colorado Territory. Using small arms and howitzer fire, the troops drove the people out of their camp. While many managed to escape the initial onslaught, others, particularly noncombatant women, children, and the elderly fled into and up the bottom of the dry stream bed. The soldiers followed, shooting at them as they struggled through the sandy earth.

At a point several hundred yards above the village, the women and children frantically excavated pits and trenches along either side of the streambed to protect themselves. Some adult men attempted to hold back the Army with whatever weapons they had managed to retrieve from the camp, and at several places along Sand Creek the soldiers shot people from opposite banks and brought forward the howitzers to assault their improvised defenses. Over the course of eight hours the troops killed around 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho people composed mostly of women, children, and the elderly. During the afternoon and following day, the soldiers wandered over the field committing atrocities on the dead before departing the scene on December 1 to resume campaigning.

Since the barbarism of November 29, the Sand Creek Massacre maintains its station as one of the most emotionally charged and controversial events in American history, a tragedy reflective of its time and place. The background of the Sand Creek Massacre lay in a whirlwind of events and issues registered by the ongoing Civil War in the East and West; the overreactions by whites on the frontier to the 1862–1863 Dakota uprising in Minnesota and its aftermath; the status of the various bands of Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians relative to each other as well as other plains tribes; the constant undercurrent of threatened Confederate incursions; and the existing state of politics in Colorado including the intrigues of individual politicians in that territory. Perhaps most important, the seeds of the Sand Creek Massacre lay in the presence of two historically discordant cultures within a geographical area that both coveted for disparate reasons, an avoidable situation that resulted in tragedy."

1200 block of Pearl Street, Boulder, was taken in 1866. The earliest-known photo of Boulder.

THE 1870'S IN BOULDER

While Marinus seems to have not actively participated (or not very much) in mining in Boulder, some of his land had valuable deposits. For example, in 1868 the Rocky Mountain News reported that Marinus "has a rich copper lode near the foot of Lee's Hill, up Left Hand Creek".

The 1870 census shows Marinus, age 50, born in New York, a farmer with $2,000 ($44,000 in 2021 dollars) of real property and $1,000 ($22,000 in 2021 dollars) of personal property. He is living with his wife, Maria, age 48, born in Indiana, who is keeping house, and the following children:

* Stella, 18, born in Illinois

* Ellen, 16, born in Illinois

* McClane, 12, born in Illinois

* Jennie, 9, born in Colorado

* Delle, 4, born in Colorado

The 1870 census also shows two of Marinus' older children, Walter Hiram Smith (mail carrier in Left Hand Creek area and Sarah Ann (Smith) Tourtellot (husband a farmer in Burlington /Left Hand District) living in Boulder County with spouses and children.

Marinus G. Smith. Date unknown.

Marinus devoted a lot of his time to developing his farm and was known for experimenting with fruits, grains, and vegetables that previously had not been grown in the area. Here is an example, as reported in The Rocky Mountain News, April 24, 1869:

"The groat Australian corn, which farmers around Denver are so much exercised about, has been raised in this county for the past four or five years. Mr. M. G. Smith was its first producer in Colorado."

The Columbia Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons in Boulder was founded October 8, 1867. Marinus was one of 11 charter members. In 1869 or 1870 he sold 10-1/2 acres of land to the Columbia Lodge for use as a cemetery. The sale price was $200 ($4,450 in 2021 dollars). This cemetery has had several names and owners over the years and is now owned by the city and called Columbia Cemetery. When the time came, the Masons conducted Marinus' funeral and both Marinus and his wife, Ann Maria, were buried in this cemetery.

In 1870 one of the daughters of Marinus and his wife had an accident that could have had a tragic outcome, as reported in the local newspaper:

The Boulder County News, August 17, 1870

Anna Maria, wife of Marinus, is rarely mentioned in surviving accounts. Here is one exception, from 1870:

The Boulder County News, October 26, 1870

In 1871 Walter bought his father's interest in the express business. (By 1873 Walter changed the name to "Pioneer State Line": "Carrying U.S. Mail and W.F. & Co.'s Express, daily, between Boulder and Caribou. Also furnish good Livery for tourists".) After selling the business to Walter, Marinus devoted his attention to his ranch, real estate interests and several other enterprises.

Development of coal and mineral mining was dependent on transportation. Citizens of Boulder worked hard to induce railroad companies to extend their lines to the city and beyond. Reportedly, Marinus donated 25 acres of land and $750 (nearly $18,000 in 2021 dollars) to encourage building of the Boulder Valley Railroad to Boulder. Marinus' son-in-law James B. Tourtellote was another donor. The first two rail lines reached Boulder in 1873 and another in 1878. (Probably Marinus Express went out of business when the Golden, Boulder & Caribou railroad began operation in 1878, hauling coal from Marshall.) The train depot was inconveniently located "out of town", along 21st Street between Spruce and Pearl streets, until a new centrally located station was built in 1890. The first depot remained in operation until 1907. It is reported that Marinus provided the land for this depot.

In yet another business enterprise, in 1871 Marinus co-founded the Anderson Ditch Company - a significant irrigation system. Around that time, Marinus donated nine acres of land for the construction of County Road 2. And, also in 1871, Boulder was initially incorporated, in violation of the Treaty of Fort Laramie.

Sadly, on July 13, 1874 (some say June 13, 1874) Anna Marie, Marinus' wife, died, in Boulder. She was 51 years of age. All her living children save one, Mrs. G.W. Harrington of Geneseo, IL, were present at her funeral. Rev. Nathan Thompson officiated. Anna Marie was buried in Columbia Cemetery, Boulder, Plot E-15-NE, Burial room 1.

We don't know the cause of Anna Marie's death or the circumstances. Marinus was 55 years old when Anna Marie died. He never remarried.

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO

In the 1870's, Marinus was active in securing the establishment of the State University at Boulder and contributed land and money toward its establishment. A plaque on campus commemorates his & his wife's donation, and that of two other couples.

Plaque at University of Colorado regarding the land donation.

In 1858 and 1859, when the first settlers laid out the town and prepared guidelines for development, they established a level of quality that was markedly higher than other communities springing up in Colorado. For example, they made the lots bigger and the streets wider. They required better construction for the new buildings. And they called for measures intended to tamp down the boom-and-bust cycle typical of gold rush towns.

At the very beginning the early Boulder settlers sought a university, hoping a university would bring gentle cultured people of wealth to Boulder. In addition, these settlers, who had little book learning themselves, also wanted a university so that their offspring could become educated and become doctors, lawyers, scientists and such; so they could contribute in a meaningful way to the improvement of the city, state and nation. To create “an inheritance … of liberty, of freedom and self-government.” as one man said. They also believed a university would enhance the Boulder economy and stature of the city.

With this in mind, in 1861 the Boulder settlers used some clever strategies and successfully lobbied the first session of the Territorial Legislature to authorize creation of a public university in Boulder and to form a board of trustees. Very audacious since the community had been started just a couple years earlier, there were just a few hundred people living in Boulder itself, and the community was squatting on land owned by the Arapaho Tribe. Remarkably, their efforts were successful.

Little was done in the next few years since statehood for Colorado was held up due to the slavery issue and the Civil War diverted attention. However, the people of Boulder held on to the goal. Toward the end of the 1860's the board of trustees, reinvigorated, began looking for land in Boulder for a campus. Some sites were considered and rejected as unsuitable. Early in 1872 three Boulder men and their wives donated over 50 acres of desirable the land as an inducement to the Territorial Legislature:

* Mr. & Mrs. Marinus Smith 25.49 acres

* Mr. & Mrs. George Andrews 21.98

* Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Arnett 3.83

The Arnetts also donated 80 acres two miles north of Boulder, later traded for some horses and a wagon.

The land Marinus donated was located east of Broadway and south of University.

Unfortunately, in 1870 the Territorial Legislature had repealed the act that located the state university in Boulder. It took four years of drama and maneuvering to finally resolve the location and funding issues. The pivotal point occurred in January 1874 when people of Boulder agreed to contribute $15,000 ($333,000 in 2021 dollars) toward construction of the university - matching the amount the proposed state allocation. This was a very large amount for a small, relatively poor agricultural community to come up with. Even so, the amount was committed in one evening - at least that's part of the founding story and may be apocryphal. The bill was passed the next day.

It took a year to actually raise the funds. In the end, a total of 104 Boulder Citizens contributed $16,806.66. The largest contribution came from Marinus Smith and his wife, who gave $1,000 ($22,200 in 2021 dollars - twice the next largest contribution) in addition to the land he had also contributed. Some contributors sacrificed greatly to make their contribution. Some had to borrow the money they contributed. One contributor was Walter H. Smith, Marinus' oldest son.

The aspiration for the university was reflected in the placement of the first building, Old Main, on a height where it was visible from nearly everywhere in town. The cornerstone for Old Main was laid on September 20, 1875, and the school officially opened September 5, 1877.

On the campus, the Norlin Quadrangle Historic District includes most of the original land donated in 1872.

Smith Hall, a dormitory, is named after Marinus.

THE CENTENNIAL YEAR

On August 1, 1876, Colorado Territory became a state, known as the Centennial State, with the same boundaries as the territory

Also that year was the Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair to be held in the United States. It was held in Philadelphia from May 10 to November 10 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. Nearly 10 million visitors attended the exposition. Marinus and probably some of his family were among the celebrators. On August 4, 1876, The Boulder County News said, "Marinus G. Smith has returned from his visit to the Centennial and is surprised at how much the town has grown since he left".

Inspired by progress in eastern cities, the people of Boulder were ambitious for their own city. In the 1870's a tree-planting program was begun. Boulder was virtually treeless when the first settlers arrived, the exception being cottonwood and willow trees along the creeks, as in Smith's Grove. In 1874 the first bank opened.

The Marinus Smith frame home - with apparent additions. Date unknown. Could be Marinus in the chair?

Picnicking at Boulder, Colo. Monday, July 26th, 1886." Signed: "J.B.S." (Sturtevant). Written on the back: "Smith's Grove". Looks like people are listening to a speaker at a political rally. Or could this be an early celebration of Colorado State's tenth birthday?

THE 1880'S IN BOULDER

The 1880 census, taken June 17, 1880, showed Marinus, 61, a widower, his wife having died in 1874. His occupation was gardening. Marinus' daughter Ellen, widowed in 1879, was living with her father, keeping house. Also in the house were:

* J. McLane Smith, 22, Marinus' younger son, unmarried, a miner

* Adellah M. Smith, 13, Marinus' youngest daughter, "Della Maud Smith"

* Norman M. Coulson, age 7, son of Ellen

In 1885 a special Federal census was held in Colorado. This census shows Marinus, 67, living alone, occupation: gardener.

In the 1880s Boulder was now well on its way and was taking on the features of an established town. Town boundaries continued to expand through a series of annexations. In 1880, Boulder passed the 3,000-population threshold, making it eligible for incorporation, and in 1882 Boulder was officially incorporated as a Second Class town.

Electricity was made available to the citizens in 1887. Even so, all the streets remained unpaved. The first paved street was Pearl, partly paved in 1917.

Marinus continued farming a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. There is no mention of keeping animals of any sort. Always generous, he gave some of his produce to the poor as well as to friends. He also continued with his real estate enterprises. From time to time, he sold lots and probably bought land too when he thought it advantageous. Documents state that Marinus served as town trustee and also as county commissioner, however details are lacking.

For pleasure, Marinus played poker, smoked cigarettes, and probably drank a little. He was a jovial and unique man. No longer young in years, (Marinus was 70 in 1889), he was young at heart and enjoyed young men's company. Marinus was well-known in the small town. A character.

Years later, Norman Maxwell Coulson ("Pop"), one of Marinus' grandchildren, said that he lived for a time with his grandfather because he didn't get along with his stepfather. His natural father died prematurely in 1879, when Norman Maxwell was about six years old. His mother then married Charles Westly Renkes, a farmer. They were married March 3, 1882 when Norman Maxwell was about nine. Probably he moved in with Marinus when he was a teen, still too young to live on his own. He was 13 in 1886 and 17 in 1890. Living with Marinus would have given Norman Maxwell an education in farming and the value of hard work. Possibly this was the inspiration, decades later, for his own small farm in Canoga Park, California.

Marinus Smith house, 16th & Grove streets, 1888, Martin Parsons Collection

Smith's orchard, 1888, with two bearded men hoeing around fruit trees

THE 1890'S IN BOULDER

In 1890, The Boulder Daily Camera newspaper began publication, and it occasionally included small items about Marinus and his family, as it did with many other local people. Marinus had become a beloved local character. The newspaper referred to him as "Uncle Marinus", "Marine", "Hon. Marinus G. Smythe", "Our partner", "our venerable friend", "M.G. Smith", and sometimes just "Marinus G. Smith". Frequently the papers printed short humorous snippets about Marinus. Here's one: "Uncle Marine bought him a new derby hat yesterday, in the latest style. It takes Marine to keep up with the boys," Boulder Daily Camera, June 23, 1891.

Here's another, "Marine Smith: I'd give a dollar any time for 50 cents worth of fun. I haven't missed a circus for sixty-five cents." Boulder Daily Camera, July 2, 1891

In 1891, to enhance the value of his property, Marinus sought annexation of a portion of his land and some adjoining land to Boulder. A vote was held June 2, 1891, and people supported annexation overwhelming (30 to 1). This added 200 people and 160 acres to Boulder. As a result of annexation, the name of County Road No. 2 was changed to 12th Street. And with annexation, Marinus seems to have become an official resident of Boulder.

By 1891 there was a train that took Boulder people to Denver for an evening of dinner and theater. The newspaper reported that Marinus went every Saturday night. The train also brought people from Denver to Boulder for pleasant outings in nature - often for picnic gatherings at Smith's Grove.

There was sad news too:

"Mrs. Harrington, who was here on a visit to her father Marinus Smith, has been called home to Kearney, Neb. by the sudden death of a daughter." (Mrs. Harrington was Jessie Lemira Smith Harrington). Boulder Daily Camera, October 4, 1892

The Boulder Daily Camera reported that on March 7, 1893 Marinus fell from the hay loft at his place. At a late hour medical assistance was called in. Within a few days he was getting around again. However, in less than a year Marinus was having serious mental problems. Could his fall be the cause or an early manifestation?

It was in this year too that woman in Colorado won the right to vote, 26 years before the passage of the 19th Amendment and the second state to grant the vote to women, after Wyoming.

CHICAGO WORLD'S FAIR OF 1893

In spring 1893 Marinus and one daughter, Sarah Ann Tourtello, were about to take the train to Chicago to visit another daughter, Jennie Johnson, and to see the Columbian Exposition when they received sad news, as reported in the newspaper:

Boulder Daily Camera, May 2, 1893

A few days later, Marinus and daughter tried again to go to the World's Fair. This is what happened, as reported in the Boulder Daily Camera, May 7, 1893:

A few months later the newspaper reported: "Your Uncle Marine Smith has indulged in the luxury of a new hat, buying it with depreciated silver, too. His famous hat which so unfortunately through the railroad wreck near Boulder, has been laid aside for a future trip to the World's Fair." Boulder Daily Camera, August 30, 1893

It's unclear whether Marinus ever got to the Columbian Exposition.

ILLNESS & THE FLOOD OF 1894

There are reports that Marinus' health was suffering prior to 1894: mental instability, as described in this article:

Boulder Daily Camera, January 16, 1894

Then came a great flood. Precipitated by rapidly melting snow and pounding rain, on May 31, 1894, a flood struck Boulder and triggered true insanity in Marinus.

Boulder, Four Mile, Left Hand, and James Creeks all rose out of their banks carrying huge boulders as the flood gained momentum in the canyons above town. Water tore through the canyons decimating mines, railroad bridges, and settlements along the way. By daybreak water poured out of the narrow canyons and spread out onto the flats, crashing with such force that the earth seemed to tremble, according to one account.

The Boulder Daily Camera, May 31, 1894

On the evening of the flood, the newspaper said this:

"Marinus Smith, who lived on his farm at Smith's Grove, lost his home, as well as a number of outbuildings." The Boulder Daily Camera, May 31, 1894

In a state of delirium, Marinus refused to leave his house, as described in this article:

Boulder Daily Camera, June 1, 1894

Finally, Marinus did leave his house:

"Two days after the flood, Marinus Smith was finally removed from his house. Rescuers waded neck deep in water to reach him on the second floor. Smith went kicking and screaming, a scene that shocked and saddened the town's residents. A prominent pioneer, farmer, and philanthropist, Smith fostered the growth of both Boulder and the university; his contributions included the donation of 25 acres of land for the campus. Marine Street, near the university, was named in his honor." Boulder Daily Camera, June 2, 1894

"Smith refused to leave his house during the flood and planned to remain there for the long haul, surviving only on oyster crackers and sugar, which he rationed into seven piles. His rescuers took him to the city jail and put him in the "insane cell." After two days Smith became lucid enough to talk to a reporter. "I did a foolish thing when I broke a window in my house," he said nervously. "You see, I thought I had brought all this flood down on Boulder." Boulder Daily Camera, June 4, 1894

Marinus was found insane by the county court and sent to the insane asylum, as described in this article:

" MARINUS SMITH –– A “RAVING MANIAC”

As noted above, Boulder resident Marinus Smith was rescued from the flood. However, the threat of his house being washed away landed him in the state insane asylum. A Daily Camera reporter noted that by the time rescuers arrived at Smith’s home, at Grove and 16th streets, he was a “raving maniac.”

Smith had settled in Boulder in 1859, after he left Illinois for the Colorado gold rush. In his better days, he ran an express and mail line between Denver, Boulder, and some of the mountain towns. He homesteaded a considerable amount of land and donated 25 acres to the University of Colorado at the time of its founding. He was also one of the first fruit and vegetable growers in the Boulder area, and his home, called Smith’s Grove, was a popular spot for picnics and civic gatherings. His gardens surrounded the intersection of today’s 17th Street and Arapahoe Avenue, in the vicinity of today’s Boulder High School. As the flood waters rose, the longtime resident became irrational and refused to leave his home. He even told his would-be rescuers that he believed that he was responsible for the flood. Finally, three days after the first rescue attempt, Boulder’s Sheriff and a party of volunteers succeeded in forcing Smith from his home, despite his ranting and raving that someone was trying to steal his property. He was placed in the “insane cell” in the jail in the basement of the Boulder County Courthouse.

Smith sat in jail and refused to eat for two days while attorneys arranged a trial in order to determine whether he was sane or insane. He was released from jail only to be taken back a few days later. The second time he was found naked, except for a shirt tied around his loins. In jail, Smith cried and prostrated himself before buttons, knives, and other articles he placed on what he imagined to be an altar, all the while telling authorities that he was about to be crucified. When it was time for his insanity hearing, Smith was moved upstairs to the county

courtroom. Witnesses included his daughters, his physician, and the Sheriff. Smith was declared insane because of his “mania on the water question” and was sent to the insane asylum in Pueblo.

Daily Camera, June 13, 1894

Opened in 1879, the Colorado State Insane Asylum became the Colorado State Hospital in 1917 before being reincarnated in 1991 as the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo. It now includes a museum.

There are many possible causes of Marinus' insanity. Brain injury sustained in his March 7, 1893 fall from his hay loft is one possible cause. One the other hand, the fall might have resulted from some preexisting disability. Perhaps records in the state institution in Pueblo could shed light on this question, should records still exist.

Sadly, Marinus never did fully recover:

"As to Marinus Smith, a few years after he was sent to the insane asylum, one newspaper account reported that he was recovering, then another stated, “He seems to be losing his mind again.” Eventually, he was returned to Boulder and allowed to spend his final days in his old home. At the time, Smith’s Grove was said to have been a “wild paradise of shrubbery, fruit and shade trees.

Historians will find it interesting that the words Marinus and Marine mean “of, or pertaining to, the sea,” and Marinus Smith’s demise was related to water." Boulder's Floods and Flood Management: Past & Present by Silvia Pettem, City of Boulder, 2016, page 19.

Marinus Smith as an old man, sitting in a chair made of branches, among Cottonwood trees. Probably located in Smith's Grove, date unknown. Martin Parsons Collection

Enlarged view of Marinus Smith

FINAL DAYS

Eventually, Smith was returned to Boulder, from the Pueblo insane asylum. Although he was allowed to spend his final days in his old home, it was not always smooth sailing, as reported in the newspaper:

"He Was Uninjured

Marine Smith, While Suffering Temporary Mental Aberration, Tried to Hang Himself

It was rumored on the street Saturday night that the Hon. Marine Smith had attempted suicide by hanging. Mr. Henry Drumm, his son-in-law, when seen by a Camera representative, made light of the matter, and stated that Mr. Smith was not at all injured. He had been found by his daughter in the barn with a rope fastened tightly about his neck, and with the other end fastened to a rafter. His feet, however, were touching the floor and he was in no immediate danger when found. Mr. Smith has been in very good condition since his return from Pueblo and his lapses from sanity are not frequent nor severe. Saturday, however, he became a little more morbid than usual, which induced him to attempt the terrible deed. When seen by a reporter he was perfectly rational and expressed surprise at the foolishness of his own action."

Boulder Daily Camera, February 28, 1898

Marinus wrote a will before his mental problems incapacitated him. After being declared insane, a conservator was appointed to see to his financial affairs. And, in September 1900, his real estate, his only significant asset, was appraised, under court supervision. Most of his property was on University Hill and still more was along Boulder Creek. The property was appraised at this time at $64,245 ($2,163,000 in 2021 dollars) but after his death the appraised value was said to be $80,000 to $100,000 ($2,700,000 to $3,368,000 in 2021 dollars).

About this time, four parcels of Marinus' property were sold by the conservator, to cover debts.

The 1900 Census showed Marinus, 81, widower, insane, living with his daughter Estella Drumm and his son-in-law, Henry Drumm. Living with them were the Drumms five children: Bernice, Harry A., Ida, Marine S, and Sara M.

Marinus died January 11, 1901, age 82. On his deathbed he was surrounded by his children: Mrs. Henry A. (Estella) Drumm, Mrs. Della Eschenburg, Mrs. J.B. (Sarah) Tourtellot, Mrs. Jessie Harrington, Mrs. Jennie Johnson of Chicago, McLean Smith of Independence, Colorado and several grandchildren. He'd asked to be cremated but 'there is no crematory this side of Missouri.'

He was buried alongside his wife in Columbia Cemetery, Plot E15-NW, Burial room 2. He had seen Boulder grow from a handful of settlers to a prosperous town of over 6,000 people.

Grave stone of Marinus G. Smith, 1819-1901 & his wife Anna M. Smith, 1823-1874

Boulder Daily Camera, Volume 10, Number 245, January 12, 1901

Boulder Daily Camera, Volume 10, Number 246, January 14, 1901

ESTATE OF MARINUS SMITH

There are a few brief Boulder Daily Camera newspaper articles about Marinus' estate. That is the only information we have at this time, and it is somewhat vague and contradictory. It is unclear whether the land was sold and the proceeds divided, whether the land was apportioned to the heirs, or some combination. It is also unknown whether each heir received the same value of inheritance. There are even discrepancies, between articles, in the number of heirs. Below are key points from those articles.

December 21, 1901, five property lots from the estate were sold at auction by order of the county court - presumably to pay estate costs.

February 25, 1902, the administrator of the estate reported to the court that all debts had been paid and that the estate of about $60,000 ($1,943,000 in 2021 dollars) had been divided between the 14 heirs, eight of whom were grandchildren. His duties complete, the judge discharged the administer. (Other sources, including the State Supreme Court opinion mentioned below, says there were eight heirs each with a one-eighth undivided share in the estate.)

May 10, 1902, three men were appointed to partition the estate, which consisted of more than 1,000 lots and other valuable property in Boulder, worth approximately $100,000 ($3,238,000 in 2021 dollars).

May 22, 1902: The city council at the request of owners of the M. G. Smith estate, accepted as names of plots of land in the city:

* Grand View Terrace

* Capitol Hill

* Buena Vista Heights

* Mountain Park

* Marine Place

* Orchard Home

* Menlo Park

* Smith's Grove

* Riverside

Apparently, this was a step in subdividing or platting and annexing estate land on University Hill and along Boulder Creek. "Marine Place" was the name given to the location of Marinus' home, more-or-less where Boulder High School is currently (2022) located.

October 15, 1902, The decree (City Council ordinance?) marking partition of the Marinus G. Smith estate was filed in the clerk and recorder's office, accompanied with a plat, 3-1/2 x 5-1/2 feet in size showing the lands of the estate, which embraces Smith's Grove, Orchard Home, Marine Place, Grandview Heights, Buena Vista Heights, Capital Hill, Mountain Park, Mento Park, Riverside and other additions to Boulder. "The estate must be worth several hundred thousand dollars."

November 16, 1903, there was a civil case related to Marinus' estate. The contestants were two of Marinus' children, Mac (Mack) Smith and Della Chase Eshenburg Busch. The newspaper description is confusing but amusing and sad. (It might, or might not, be relevant that Mack, who was a miner, died many years later in the county poorhouse.)

Boulder Daily Camera, Volume 13, Number 207, November 16, 1903

A second article about this case, which dragged on, eventually reaching the state Supreme court in 1907 and being remanded to the District Court.

Boulder Daily Camera, February 10, 1908:

DEMOLITION

In 1903 Marinus' "white house" was moved to a nearby location. Evidently Marinus' daughter, Stella Drumm and her husband had sold the house to a man named Fred White and retained ownership of the land. Nicely described here:

Boulder Daily Camera, Volume 13, Number 169, October 2, 1903

In 1905 Marinus' "log house" was demolished. This seems to be different from the "white house" that was moved in 1903, but maybe not? Interesting article:

Boulder Daily Camera, Volume 15, Number 108, July 21, 1905

MARINE STREET

Among the people of Boulder, Marinus had been known as "Marine." In the early 1890's Boulder's Vine Street was renamed "Marine Street" in his honor. That name remains to today (2022).

BOULDER COUNTY BUSINESS HALL OF FAME

In 1992 Marinus was among the first people inducted into the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame. Their mission is to honor individuals who have "been instrumental through business-related efforts, in providing direction, energy, and support to the shaping of Boulder County since its inception. Those business-related efforts should result in community-wide economic, social, cultural, political, and/or religious benefits that not only had an immediate positive impact on the community and its citizens, but an impact that will still be evident in decades to come."

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO MARINUS SMITH AWARDS

The University of Colorado Boulder has a program, established in 2001 and still active (as of 2022), called the Marinus Smith Awards:

The Marinus Smith Award recognizes faculty and staff members who have had a particularly positive impact on our students. Honorees are nominated by those they teach, mentor, support and serve.

The faculty and staff receiving this award embody the true meaning of Be Boulder as they inspire, educate and motivate our community through innovation and passion. The award winners leave a long-lasting impact on our community. 

The award is named after Marinus Smith, a 19th century Boulder resident who made significant contributions of land and money to support the establishment of the University of Colorado Boulder. Marinus G. Smith is a Colorado pioneer who made significant financial and land donations that made it possible for the university to locate in Boulder at the base of the Flatirons. In 1872, Marinus G. Smith, Anthony Arnett, and George and Mary Andrews donated 52 acres on the barren bluff south of town.

Two years later, the territorial legislature appropriated $15,000 for a building if the people of Boulder could match it. When Marinus G. Smith was asked by Professor J. Raymond Brackett if he would live to see the tree he was planting bear fruit, Smith replied, “Old men plant trees; young men can’t wait.” Smith, whom everyone called “Marine,” donated part of his University Hill acreage to the University of Colorado. Marine Street has been named in his honor.

THE MUSEUM OF BOULDER

This museum, run by the Boulder Historical Society, may contain objects that Marinus, his family and neighbors owned. The museum contains over 45,000 artifacts dating back to Boulder's earliest days, however the inventory is not online (as of 2022).

BOULDER GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY & CARNEGIE LIBRARY FOR LOCAL HISTORY

The Society and Carnegie Library, a branch of Boulder's library system, collects and preserves all sorts of documents related to the people of Boulder. Much of the Society's archive is managed by the Carnegie Library.

Some of their information pertaining to Marinus Smith and his family is available online and was incorporated in this document. Far more, including photos of Marinus and his family, is held in files and boxes, available to anyone who wants to dig in deeper.